Putin orders the transfer of the 15th century Trinity icon from museum to church.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the Tretyakov Gallery Museum in Moscow to transmit a rare icon to the Russian Orthodox Church. His decision neglects expert opinions regarding the fragile state of the icon but pleases Patriarch Kyrill and the clergy who support the war against Ukraine. 

The Trinity – which, in Orthodox Christianity, depicts God Father, God Son, and the Holy Spirit prior to the crucifixion of the Christ – had been displayed in public in the Trinity Sergyev Monastery for five centuries before being restored and spending another 100 years in relatively good conditions at the museum.

Now it has returned into church possession for an unspecified period, to raise the morale of Russians during the ongoing war in the neighboring country. The move, however, will resume the degradation of the icon, given that the Christ the Savior Cathedral, where it was transferred on 16 July, does not have proper conditions for storage of this relic, or adequate humidity, or specialists to monitor its state, says Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper. 

During the first three days of stay under a simple glass at the cathedral, at least 60 changes to worse were inflicted to the medieval icon, and the negative impact is multiplying: paint is crumbling, wood frames are drying up and downsizing, while burning candles creates a toxic climate that amplifies the problems and speeds up the degradation of this unique cultural piece of art.

Museum experts who visited the cathedral observed new cracks in the icon. An envoy for Patriarch Kyrill agreed with the museum staff that the transportation of the icon was dangerous and recommended to leave it where it was. He got fired the next day.

According to Putin’s plan, the icon will spend a year at the Christ the Savior cathedral and then will return to the Trinity Sergyev monastery. By Russian law, President Putin has no powers to meddle with cultural or religious affairs and it was not up to him to take such a decision.

The icon was actually removed from the museum by a group of Orthodox Church officials sided by representatives of the presidential administration, outside the working hours – a coward tactic to avoid public protests, the report says.

The icon was painted by Andrey Rublyov in the 15th century, at the time the early Moscow principality was born on the remnants of the Kievan Rus. As one of museum workers remarked, the loss of the icon will be the end of the Russian state. He predicted that the relic will survive maximum seven month in the church’s arms, and then irreversible changes will ensure its death.

“The icon was painted for the church, but the church will literally kill it,” the restaurateur stated.

Curiously, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski has pledged to drive the Russian occupiers who his country by the end of this year.